Gray Dawn
by Kaira101
Summary: *Warning: Contains Spoilers* After the halt of the Grave Eclipse, Matthew, Karis, and Tyrell travel back to their home on Goma Plateau. However, once they arrive, they find an appalling surprise that leaves Matthew in a sea of bitterness and fury, soon transforming him into a dark antagonist. The birth of the Gray Dawn era is now approaching... Rated T for violence
1. Chapter 1: Sailing

Gray Dawn

A Fanfiction of Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

Chapter 1- Sailing

"But when the man realized who I was, he practically fell on his face and began to babble about how honored and grateful he was to meet me in person! Then the merchant offered everything in his cart without charge!" Tyrell roared in delight as he finished his sentence, a gleeful look on his face.

Karis stared at Tyrell, dumbfounded. Once Tyrell's outburst of laughter died down, Karis asked, "What did you do? Don't tell me you actually…"

Shoulders still shaking, Tyrell snickered as he managed to say, "You'd think I'd turn down an offer such as that?"

"Tyrell!" Karis hissed furiously. The red-haired Mars adept began to laugh once again as Karis jumped off her seat and snarled at him. "You actually took advantage of that man's generosity!? He could have been selling all of those goods to feed his family! You had no idea what sort of financial position he was in, yet you took all of those goods and—"

Matthew sat silently in his seat, watching his comrades argue and bicker. Karis continued to lecture Tyrell on how many civilians were in great desperation at the moment, with the Grave Eclipse ending only a couple of days ago. Tyrell, through occasional halts of continuous laughter, tried to come up with a rational explanation, but to no avail. Matthew wasn't greatly surprised by Tyrell's actions; it was quite standard for Tyrell to act without thinking. What Matthew was shocked by was Karis's expectations for the man. _She should know that this is normal for Tyrell, _Matthew mused. _She must be imagining Tyrell as her dream man again. _Karis had traveled with Tyrell and Matthew for at least a year, due to an accident Tyrell had created with Karis's father's greatest invention. Throughout the journey, it was noticeable that they began to form strong feelings for each other. Now, after an entire year, one look at the couple, and it was obvious they were together. So it was quite amusing to watch the two argue. Matthew was unable to suppress a smile.

"What?" Karis and Tyrell had noticed Matthew's expression and stared at him, confused.

Matthew shook his head, but said nothing. _A lovers' quarrel, _he thought, chuckling inwardly. He ignored his friends' stares and rested his chin on his folded hands, bending forward slightly. He scanned the area before him. Matthew, Karis, and Tyrell were in one of the small sleeping chambers in Eoleo's ship. The room wasn't large, but not uncomfortably small either. It consisted of a pair of bunks, a ragged rug, and a wooden table. The furniture slid over the wooden floors slightly every time the massive vessel rocked. Every board creaked when the ship tilted. Matthew used to find it disturbing and annoying when he first entered Eoleo's ship. Now it was a comforting sound to him—like it was calling him back into the shelter of a safe haven.

He recalled how challenging it had been to locate any secure sanctuary in the dark times of the Grave Eclipse. He and his seven companions frequently had been forced to camp in the open and schedule night watches every hour. It had not been abnormal to awake at night and battle legions of dark creatures until dawn. They then had had to travel at least thirteen leagues without any pauses, with the exception of hunting, until the sun—rather a small dim speck in the shadowy sky-was well below the mountains. None slept for as long as four days occasionally. The only reason why Matthew was still sane was because of Sveta, a strikingly beautiful woman who happened to be half beast—a beastman. Her braided lavender hair rolled down her shoulders like silk, her golden skin shimmered like a rare rock, and her bright emerald eyes had been the party's sun and hope during the dreary age.

Matthew's face darkened and his expression grew grim at the thought of Sveta. After his party had finally put a halt to the Grave Eclipse, Sveta was called to her duty as the new Queen of Belinsk since her brother had died while aiding the party in their mission. Both Matthew and Sveta understood that their relationship had to be shattered due to both of their positions, so they concurred to part ways. The last time Matthew had caught sight of her was when he stood on the stern of Eoleo's strong wooden ship, staring at the edge of Port Rago. Throughout the entire week of sailing and fending off occasional monster attacks, Matthew had been silent and bleak. But his silence wasn't entirely astonishing, however.

A warm mass squeezing his shoulder jolted Matthew out of his thoughts, and he turned his head over his shoulder to see Karis and Tyrell gazing at him with concern. He lifted an eyebrow questionably at them—another way of his to tell them to let him be. Obviously ignoring his warning, Karis leaned in and whispered, "You alright?"

Matthew faced forward then rested his elbows on his knees, staring at the ground. How could he possibly admit that he wasn't? The man had been the leader of his entire group for several years. If the leader was weak, the group would fall apart. If the leader was gleeful, the group would be as well. If the leader was cheerless…

Matthew slowly nodded his head. Karis squeezed his shoulder tighter, forcing Matthew to wince. There was an extensive awkward silence between the three of them for what seemed to last hours. Finally breaking the hushed stillness, Tyrell slapped Matthew encouragingly on the back. "So…finally done!" Karis starred at Tyrell in perplexity. "With the Grave Eclipse, you morons! It's over. Now we can head back home, kick back, and relax for perhaps ten years…. I'm serious! I'm not traveling until I'm Kraden's age… Got doubts? I'll even grow a beard and wear that odd robe if you like!"

Karis began to laugh and Matthew smiled. _That's right. I'll be able to see my father again. If I'm lucky, perhaps I'll even visit Mother._ Spirits brightening, Matthew began to quietly chuckle with his two companions.

In a single moment, all momentary bliss was destroyed by the earsplitting sound of a cannon and the shrieking of crewmen. The entire ship rocked violently and the east wall of the sleeping chamber shattered into miniature sharp wooden knives. Matthew slammed onto the hard floor, a sharp pain exploding in his left shoulder. Ears ringing, Matthew gasped as he struggled to stand, the debris slashing at his exposed skin. As if in a sea—sounds now only echoes and movements slowed—Matthew shakily stood, clutching onto his sword. He glanced at Karis and Tyrell. Tyrell, axe in his hand, began to walk towards the blown away hole, severely cut, but not injured. Karis lay on the ground, clutching her bloodied arm and panting heavily. She met Matthew's eyes and nodded slowly—an indication that she was still able to fight. Ears slowly regaining their abilities, Matthew heard the ring of metal weapons clashing against each other, the shouting of men, and the piercing roar of a monster. Another beast attack.

Within the mixed sounds of chaos, Matthew recognized Eoleo's gruff, booming voice shouting orders to his men. "Harpoons at the front lines, archers in back! Go for the neck, you blokes! Come on, jelly-legs, show no fear! There is no fear on my ship!"

Matthew, Tyrell, and Karis exchanged a silent look towards each other, something they had done before all battles. It was their own way of saying, "Let's fight, survive and win. I _will not _see you die before me. I want to sleep soundly tonight knowing everyone is unharmed." Then, as one unit, they ran up to the deck to face the challenge before them.


	2. Chapter 2: Deep-sea Leviathan

Chapter 2- Deep-sea Leviathan

Tyrell, although battered and scraped, felt his heart race with exhilaration as he trudged through debris in the main corridor of the ship. Matthew and Karis followed closely behind, weapons drawn and expressions grim. Tyrell had always been the typical brute who fought for the thrill of the battle, while Matthew and Karis had a more wholesome motive—to protect their comrades and families at home. That was swell and all, but it wasn't Tyrell's portrayal of enjoyment. But he was still fighting and protecting his comrades. So why was every sailor staring at him with anxiety when his lips spread to a wide grin?

Gripping his battle axe with both hands and handling it as a walking staff, he strut through the corridor towards the horrified screams and the piercing howl of an indefinite creature.

But the scene was not as expected. The moment Tyrell had touched his boot to the main deck, he instantly froze. There stood no living soul; only motionless carcasses—human and beast-lay scattered around the decks. The roars and shrieks had died down to only a chilling wind. And there was no sign of Captain Eoleo or his first mate. Releasing a slow breath, Tyrell stared forlornly at the corpses. The stench of blood was overwhelming. Matthew and Karis silently walked past him, despair in their eyes. Matthew grimaced as he passed by a deceased sailor whom he had obviously known well. Karis sighed sorrowfully, squeezing her eyes shut as a fresh tear ran down her delicate face. Tyrell clasped her shoulder tightly in attempt to comfort her. No one had seen such a brutal massacre at sea.

"There is no sign of Eoleo", Tyrell muttered to Matthew. "Now what?" The group's leader stood like a statue, his back turned to his companions, facing the empty sea. Tyrell could hear his slow, rhythmic breathing. After traveling with the silent man for over a year, Tyrell knew that Matthew was obviously trying to calm himself down. It was best not to bother him. Stepping cautiously over the fallen sailors, Tyrell moved over to the railing and examined the ocean, searching for any possible survivors still afloat or perhaps another monster. His grip tightened on the strong wooden haft of his axe and he felt his blood boil with fury. He mumbled a low curse and hissed, "Whatever did this, I'll hack it into pieces! If only we had a Mercury adept, we could find that monster. Bah! It could be anywhere by now." He heard a noise behind him, but Tyrell ignored it. He was too rage-filled to bother. He paced the floor, throwing out his arms for enthusiasm. "Eoleo is gone, half-if not all-the crew is dead, and none of us know how to use a ship! We still have a day's travel ahead of us. We'll have to swim and get help—"

"Tyrell!"

In hearing his name, the Mars adept spun around and saw Matthew's face painted with fear and anger. "What?" he cried.

"Move, you fool! Underneath you!" Tyrell shifted his feet, but he could barely hear Matthew's next words, for they were drowned in a bloodcurdling roar. The ship rocked violently, and Tyrell tumbled like a rag doll and slammed into the railing, the air in his lungs taken out of him. The wooden boards beneath him rose as if something underneath were prying them upward. Matthew cursed and bolted towards him, slamming him to the left. The boards gave away, and a jet of water burst from underneath, reaching over twenty yards high. He heard Karis scream for Matthew as a snakelike body emerged from the pillar, black scales glistening in the sunlight. A howl emitted from the creature and its body coiled in different directions. Matthew crouched on the top of the creature, his Sol Blade piercing its flesh. The monster arched his head backward before snapping it forward with inhuman speed, throwing Matthew off of its massive head. He was sent soaring through the air and into the sea with a loud and painful strike. The towering body of the sea creature began to slip slowly back into the hole it created in the ship. Fearful for Matthew, Tyrell charged towards the beast, swinging his axe in the air. The axe scored, notching flesh and scales off it. The monster shrieked in agony, which sounded like metal scraping against each other. It curved over the ship, retreating to the safety of the ocean.

Knowing the monster would return with a furious attack at any moment, Tyrell screamed for Matthew, searching the ocean's surface for his leader. Tyrell's heart practically was bursting out of his chest and his lungs burned like fire. Karis cried for Tyrell, and he turned around. The monster emerged from the ocean with a battle cry, water exploding beside it. The beast stood still long enough for Tyrell to recognize its features. It was known as a deep-sea leviathan, a rare beast that dwelled at the bottom of the ocean, feasting on whales and giant squid. It held an eel-like body covered in black scales, with enormous fins—the membrane a sandy color. Webbing ran from its forehead to its tail. Its head was triangular, covered in fins and webbing. Two fangs curved from its mouth like a snake, and a forked tongue was exposed. Its eyes were pure black. The leviathan was at least twenty yards long, and—according to legend—it was only a child. Tyrell dared not think what its parents looked like. The leviathan roared and charged, crouching low to the surface of the water. Karis unsheathed her rapier and uttered a single word. A fierce wind erupted from the palm of her hand and grew ten times the size of the ship. She glanced at Tyrell as to hint something. A sneer tugged at his lips, and a flame ignited in his hand. The moment the monster rose to attack, Tyrell threw his fireball into Karis's gale, which she released. The flaming torment swathed the beast, which shrieked in surprise and pain. Tyrell then swung his axe into the leviathan's flank. Karis swiftly whipped her rapier into the same spot Tyrell had dug for her, and then they both poured their psyenergy into the wound. They jumped back as the monster's shriek grew louder, forcing the two to cover their ears. The heat scorched the wooden boards close to the fire-encased beast. The leviathan rocked unsteadily, as if to faint. Tyrell felt pride in his victory of slaying the beast swell inside him, and he shouted, "How does it feel, leviathan! You brainless animal stood no chance against us!" Karis smiled in relief as the beast began to crumble under its own weight, into the depths of the sea, releasing a mighty death cry. A wave of water rushed over the boat, rocking it fiercely. Tyrell and Karis kept their balance, waiting for the ship to level out. By the time the rocking ceased, the sea was silent.

Tyrell sighed in relief, and Karis started laughing hysterically. The rolling sound of the waves calmed them. Tyrell stood up, out of the water. He froze. He stood up, _out of the water. _His blood ran cold when he realized that he didn't hear the sound of the rolling waves. It was the sound of water rushing in. His head snapped to his left, and he saw the hole the leviathan had created. Water spewed out of it, onto the main deck. His stomach dropped and he glanced at Karis. Her eyes were alert and fearful. She suddenly gasped and jolted upwards. She cried a single word that gave a dreading feeling to Tyrell: "Matthew!"

There was no reason to think about the ship at that point. Tyrell and Karis both leaned on the edge of the railing, shouting Matthew's name. They meticulously searched the ocean, frantically shrieking. Tyrell felt a shadow fall over them and drops of rain falling on them. It couldn't have been a worse time for a storm. Thunder boomed overhead, and a warm wind fell over them. Tyrell turned to search for a telescope, and found something he hadn't wished to see. The storm was not a force of nature, but the actions of a creature—a twenty yard long deep-sea leviathan to be exact. A burn was implanted on the side of its body and its eyes bore into Tyrell. He swallowed, but did not have time to react. The leviathan snarled angrily and snapped at Tyrell. Tyrell yelled in agony as its fang sank into his leg, lifting him up. Karis spun around and prepared to strike, but was swiped away by the monster's massive fin. Her frail body was thrown against one of the ships masts and she fell to the ground, moaning. Tyrell screamed her name, but she didn't respond. Wincing, he struggled to form a fireball and aim it at the leviathan. The beast snorted and threw him into the opposite mast. Tyrell felt and heard a crack before he tumbled to the wet deck, barely conscious. He groaned as the leviathan roared in triumph, opening its jaw to a seemingly impossible angle. The monster faced the bowsprit, its breath enveloping Tyrell; it smelled of rotten meat and dead fish, almost making Tyrell gag. It seemed as if the leviathan would swallow the ship whole.

"Karis," he managed to whisper. The beautiful Jupiter adept blinked before opening her large, violet eyes at him. There were too many things the man had never said to her. He wanted to marry her, build a home on the beautiful Goma Plateau, and start a family. He wanted to watch his children grow into adults, and give them his blessing. He wanted to grow old with Karis, watching the time of the world pass by. But he had let her down because he was too afraid that it hadn't been the right time to ask her. It was his fault. Unable to allow himself to cry in front of his love, he said, "I'm sorry." Her lips quivered and her eyes turned watery. She nodded and reached her hand out. Tyrell held her hand with utter sadness and waited for their doom. The leviathan's mouth began to devour the ship inch by inch. Unable to watch, Tyrell shut his eyes.

And a roar was heard.

Tyrell opened his eyes and saw the leviathan towering over the ship, shrieking. A massive boulder the size of the ship itself in the shape of a spike was lodged into the beast's side. Tyrell looked over his shoulder and saw two massive stone pillars: one held Eoleo and perhaps thirty of his crewmen. The other held Matthew. The side of his head bled heavily but he held an intense fury in his eyes. He hissed several words, and five colossal stones from the ocean with the equal size gradually rose out of the water. They began to orbit around the Venus adept with mighty speed, creating a low humming sound. He jumped from the pillar and a bridge emitted from him to the boat the moment his feet touched the water. Unsheathing his sword, Matthew pointed it at the leviathan and said something Tyrell could not hear. But he recognized his lip movements and realized the man had said, "Come."

The leviathan howled in vehemence and dipped beneath the water, concealing itself. With a smooth flick of his hand, Matthew sent the pillar with Eoleo and his crewmen towards the bridge he had created, motioning them to leave. Eoleo shouted something, and his crew leaped off and sprinted towards their ship. Eoleo stayed behind muttering something to Matthew. Matthew replied with displeasure, glaring the captain down. But he could say no more, for the leviathan appeared directly in front of the two and opened its enormous jaw. A rock entered its mouth, and Matthew feverishly explained something to Eoleo. Convinced, the captain hurried towards the boat, his powerful muscles allowing him to sprint faster than his crewmen. The sea beast crushed the stone within its jaw and attacked Matthew, who evaded it nimbly.

Several of the sailors scaled up the railing and rushed toward the two injured adepts. Two gingerly lifted Karis and began treating her wounds. Soon Eoleo climbed into the ship and carefully lifted Tyrell up. "Sorry I'm late," he muttered, popping several bones back in place. "I was trapped underwater; that leviathan can sure pack a punch." Tyrell grunted in agreement, massaging his shoulder. As he examined his arm, Eoleo whispered, "Just be happy it wasn't serious."

Tyrell raised an eyebrow questionably, "Serious? You call that _not _being serious?"

Eoleo shook his head and muttered, "Oh no. It was fighting half heartily. You don't know about leviathans like I do. You think they'd be legendary if they could just attack with their mouth and fin? For King's blood sake, that thing can use psyenergy."

Tyrell stared at the captain in bewilderment. _How much stronger can the thing get?_ He cursed and cried, "Is Matthew a fool? He doesn't actually think he can best it, does he? By the Wise One, why did you leave him?" He abruptly stood and hurried towards the railing. Matthew had dented many of the leviathan's scales and hacked its flesh underneath, but he was getting fatigued. His movements had grown sluggish, and he panted heavily, blood dripping from his brow. Tyrell threw his hand toward the scene and shouted, "He needs help!"

Just as he began to climb off the ship, Eoleo grabbed his shoulder and barked, "No! You fool; you'll ruin his plan entirely. Listen!" Tyrell was pulled back by incredible strength and thrown back onto the main deck. "We need to attack with our full strength and lure it over here. Once the monster charges for us, Matthew will detain it. We then attack its weak point—the eye. While its detained, Matthew with attempt to repair the damages of the ship. We will have to do this quickly since we are already sinking." He pointed to the water that had already reached their ankles. "Are you ready, kid?"

Tightening his jaw, he retrieved his axe and pounded the end of his haft against the deck. "Ready as I will ever be," he said grimly. Karis limped over to them and held onto Tyrell for support. He casted an anxious look towards her and said, "Are you alright?" Karis grinned and nodded.

"I couldn't be better," she said. Tyrell smirked at the comment, feeling his heart race with exhilaration once again. He filled his arms with psyenergy as Eoleo shouted at them to prepare for attack.


End file.
